Parent advocate behind ‘Greyson’s Law’ says she is worried about ‘Cassie Carli’s Law’

A parent advocate whose son’s death sparked “Greyson’s Law” is speaking out against a bill ready for Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign.

“Although there are aspects of it that I agree with and applaud as a victim myself, some points frighten me,” Ali Kessler wrote in a letter to Florida lawmakers in response to “Cassie Carli’s Law,” which has passed both chambers.

Under the legislation, every county in Florida would be mandated to provide a location for parents to safely exchange custody of their children. All court-approved plans for shared parental custody would include, unless otherwise agreed to by both parents, a list of “designated authorized locations” to hand off their children.

The Sheriff’s Office in each county would also be named as a safe exchange site and would set aside an area that’s well-lit, under 24-hour video surveillance and accessible 24/7.

Kessler said it’s important for parents to have “neutral zones” for child exchanges but argued they should be in public places, like malls or post offices, so the situation feels more normal for the children.

“How on earth is a parent supposed to tell their child the reason they are meeting at the sheriff’s office? Greyson would have known something was up and maybe scared. I dreaded the thought of having to tell him why Mommy was meeting Daddy at the police station and then handing the child over,” Kessler wrote in her letter to lawmakers.

Kessler’s 4-year-old son Greyson was murdered by his father in 2021. Kessler had sought a restraining order for domestic violence against the child’s father who threatened and stalked her. She tried to get sole custody, but the courts didn’t move fast enough to prevent the tragedy.

Last year the Legislature passed Greyson’s Law, which allows the courts to consider threats against ex-partners or spouses when setting child visitation and custody policies.

She also said Cassie Carli’s Law doesn’t do enough to protect families.

“If a parent feels unsafe for any reason, why would they hand over their child to an ‘unsafe’ person? Isn’t that how Greyson died? Isn’t that why Greyson’s Law was created? They go fill out a DV injunction, check the box, and pray courts believe them,” she wrote.

“If a parent believes they may be in imminent danger, then they should be granted an emergency hearing to present reasons, and a judge can intervene. A safe zone at the police station will fuel the fire of an ‘unwell’ parent.”

The lone dissenting vote when the safe exchange bill cleared the Senate this week had come from Democratic Sen. Lori Berman, the sponsor of Greyson’s Law.

Republican Sen. Clay Yarborough, who sponsored the bill, did not respond to a request for comment Friday about Kessler’s remarks but had previously defended his legislation and said it protected the child’s best interests.

“We’re still giving the court the discretion to take all the factors into consideration,” the Jacksonville Republican told Berman on the Senate floor this week. “That discretion will remain with the court, the same way it does under what we did under Greyson’s Law.”

Kessler is holding her first fundraiser in Ft. Lauderdale from noon to 3 p.m., Feb. 24 for her nonprofit, Greyson’s Choice.